An Australian man has been charged with multiple counts of fraud after allegedly tricking 35 people into investing in fake companies before fleeing to New Zealand.
NSW Police have been investigating the 51-year-old man, who operates under a number of aliases, since 2015.
He was flown to New South Wales from Auckland yesterday.
"Despite him trying to get away from us, going over to New Zealand, he's been extradited back to Australia," Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis said.
Police will allege the man set up four fake business franchises before receiving investment funding valued at $5.6 million.
Detectives said the man had conned 35 people out of their life savings.
"Many of the investors did a fair bit of research, so you can see he went to a lot of work to make it very believable to say that these companies actually exist," Superintendent Katsogiannis said.
"In fact they were registered companies but in the end failed business ventures because there was never any money behind them."
The man's 48-year-old partner, who allegedly worked with him, was charged with similar offences in July.
He has been refused bail to appear before Central Local Court.
